Simulation Roles
Role 1. Moderator (representative of the UN Commission who will facilitate discussion)
You want to make sure the recommendations from this group are constructive and will lead to improved governance, make headway in development in Froga, and help lay the groundwork for the next year’s second round of national and local elections. In order for the recommendations from this group to be useful to the UN Commission, the recommendations must come from the group, not the moderator. The moderator should not favor or disapprove of recommendations or the participants.
You will begin the meeting by welcoming the participants and stating the purpose of the meeting. Ask the participants to introduce themselves and their organization. Establish guidelines for speaking. Suggested guidelines are:
a. Raise your hand and wait your turn to speak. Do not interrupt the person who is speaking.
b. Give the speaker full attention.
c. When speaking, speak with respect for yourself and your audience. Do not use offensive or pejorative language.
d. Remember that this is a forum to bring out problems, consider solutions, and make a range of recommendations.
You will first allow the group as a large group to express their concerns and ideas. This discussion should lead to the participants’ addressing one another’s concerns and revealing points that have to be addressed in the recommendation. After some discussion, the moderator may choose to break the group into two, one group addressing governance, corruption, and the election and the second group addressing the issues of governance, corruption, and development. The two groups should come together again and put their recommendations for approval to the large group.
During the discussion, you will:
Role 2. Minister of Interior (Frogan government arm that manages infrastructure and internal security)
You want to convince the development organization to channel money for development through the national government. When the national government is largely left out in development and aid delivery, it’s difficult to build capacity and expertise for implementing national policies and delivering services. You have been working very hard to increase transparency and accountability. You also want government officials to be involved with the aid organization so they can put into practice what they have been learning in their transparency and accountability training courses. Not being consulted and involved in local development projects weakens the presence and reach of the national government.
You will want to win support for your recommendations from the Coalition of Minority Political Parties, Small and Medium Enterprise Council, and negotiate with the International Development Organization for funding and the Association of Local NGOs for support and delivery of services.
You want to:
At the same time, you don’t want to create such transparency that your party’s supporters will no longer see continued benefits from supporting the government and its policies.
Role 3. International Development Organization (outside organization that funds activities such as food distribution, health services, election coordination, and business development)
You don’t see how a stable national government can be established without transparency and accountability. If you increase the funding for projects that involve the national government and even directly fund government projects, you would help bolster the government’s position; however, since there is so much corruption in national government you want to continue to work through your contractors, local nongovernmental organizations, and corrupt, but more manageable, local government. Once you see improved transparency and accountability, you are willing to channel more funds through the national government or in cooperation with it.
All sectors of Frogan society depend on your funding and look to you to use your influence to help Frogans. You would like to see the government increase transparency and direct much of the profits from natural resources to developing small and medium businesses. You want them to hold officials who take bribes in place of taxes and proper licensing fees accountable. Transparency and accountability will allow businesses to be dealt with fairly and prosper, and the government to collect taxes for revenue.
You want:
Role 4. Association of Local NGOs (Frogan non-profit organizations that deliver humanitarian and economic services)
You have a wide network that delivers basic health and health education services throughout Froga. You don’t trust any government official’s word and know that the national election officials turned a blind eye to electoral violence and ballot stuffing in the last election. You already have access to vehicles in remote places that could be used to transport people to polling stations. You want to convince the international development organization to use your organization because you will be more dependable and the cost will be lower than dealing with the national government. You are convinced that the locals will not cooperate and get on a bus sent by the government. The Coalition of Minority Political Parties could be your ally in the panel. While you don’t trust the National Election Committee to do a good job in the next election on its own, you want to win the cooperation of the National Election Committee.
You want:
Role 5. National Election Committee (Frogan government arm that plans, organizes, and manages election)
As a member of the Toki political elite, you want to strengthen your party’s grip on power. However, you resent the accusation that you allowed electoral violence and ballot stuffing. And, it’s not your fault that it is difficult to get Yuso and other minority groups to register because so many of them live in remote villages that are difficult for election officials to reach. You think the problem to be solved is for the minority groups to be transported to the polling stations, which will cost money that the government does not have. You will ask the United Nations for funding to do so in the next election, and it is important for the money to flow through the government to build capacity and expertise as well as gain the trust of the public.
You want:
Role 6. Frogan Small and Medium Enterprise Council (lobbies for anti-corruption measure that promotes investment and business development)
A successful election could help attract foreign money despite Froga’s immediate problems. Froga is unattractive to foreign investors, who could bring in badly needed funds that would create jobs and a local tax base. Lack of law and order along with bad infrastructure makes doing business in Froga difficult. Also, a murky tax structure makes taxes seem arbitrary and unpredictable. Your members are tired of paying off government officials, thugs, the police, and the military for protection.
You want the election to result in a better business environment. An unsuccessful election will mean more instability and a poor business environment. A better business environment will mean more wealth for the Frogan people and more revenue for the government. Your members are leaders in their communities and you can organize a large number of voters to support the parties that will support law and order, infrastructure development, and transparent tax and government processes.
You want:
Role 7. Coalition of Minority Political Parties (boosts the power of minority parties to represent minority interests)
You want to make sure that the election process is fair and that minority groups are able to get access to the polling stations without fear of violence. Members of your coalition who were once leaders of the rebellion still have the respect of the warlords and gang leaders who once fought along their side, but not enough to hold back the violence that will likely follow another fraudulent election. Two changes may help the situation:
1. Increase the portion of profits (free and clear of the national government’s corrupt measure that would diminish it) from all natural resources that goes to the impoverished provinces heavily populated by minorities; and
2. Ministries, in the next administration and in administrations thereafter, should reflect the country’s demographics and be headed by more minorities. For this fair trade, you will persuade your past comrades to refrain from violence, no matter the election result.
You want to: